Apparatus for closing vacuumized containers



June 3, 1930. J. H. ONEIL 1,761,438

APPARATUS FOR CLOSING VACUUMIZED CONTAINERS Filed Feb. 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 yam/41 awn/mugs J. H. O NEIL June 3, 1930.

APPARATUS FOR CLOSING VACUUMIZED CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2'7, 1929 Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES H. ONEIL, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINENTAL CAN COM- PANY, IN C-, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK APPARATUS FOR CLOSING VACUUMIZED CONTAINERS Application filed February 27, 1929. Serial No. 343,131.

C The invention relates to new and useful improvements in an apparatus for closing vacuumized containers.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein a .contalner may be vacuumized after it is filled and closed, and wherein said container may be sealed by a closure forced into gripping contact with a friction seat by pressure applied thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above character wherein the friction seat to receive the closure is located centrally of the closin end for the container, and where n the en surrounding the friction seat is supported magneticall firmly to the closure for seating the same. a I

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above character for seating annular closures, and wherein magnetic means is provlded for supporting the end within the frlction seat to resist the pressure incident to the seating of the closure. These and other objects will in part-be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration, a part of an apparatus embodingthe imp'rovements Figure l is a vertlcal sectional view through a vacuumizing belland also through the container which is being vacuumized and closed, 'and showing the closing head in side elevation; v Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional viewthroughthe closing head and the upper portion of the container, said sectlon being taken OIlrtllB line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the hne 3-3 'of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a detail showing the closure seated and the container sealed; in this fig. ure, the end is provided with a recess to .receive and house the closure.

, The invention-is directed'to the sealing of v a container which has been vacuumized after,

the container has been filled and closed. The Y container is filled, after which the closing from without so that it maybe eld, resisting the pressure apphed end isattached thereto,,preferably by double seaming. This closing end is formed within its limits, and preferably centrally thereof, with an annular recess. In the bottom of the recess there are openings leading to the container. The container is closed, so far as further filling is concerned, but is still open to the extent that a vacuum can be drawn on thecontainer. The container is then closed 'by a closure or plug which is shaped so as to engage the side walls of the recess and frictionally grip the same. Either the closure or the container end is provided with a sealing material. The sole means, however, for holding the closure in place, is' the frictional gripping contact between the walls of the closure and the walls of the recess into which the closure is forced.

he invention is' directed primarily to an apparatus for placing a container under vacuum, and for forcing the closure into the recess for sealin the container. The container, after it is lled and closed by the attachment of the end thereto, is placed in a chamber, and a vacuum drawn on the chamber places the interior of the container, under vacuum. Within this chamber is the closing head which includes magnetic means for en agement with the outer face of the end 0 the container in the regions surrounding-this,,recess, and also in the region within'the recess, when it is annular. The head is also providedwitha plunger which engages the closure for forcing the same into the recess. This magnetic-support of the end resists the pressure incident to the forcing of the closure on to its friction seat, and thus enables the closure to be firmly seated without any strain being placed on the container end.

Referring more in-detail to the drawings, the invention is shown as applied to the closing of a container which includes a body portion 1, to which an end 2 is joined by a double seam 3. This end 2 is provided with 95 an annular recess 4. The side walls 5 and 6' of the recess'are substantially vertical. At the bottom of the recess there is a series of openings 7. The container is filled in the usual manner, after which the end 2 is dou- '100 ble seamed thereto. This container is placed in a vacuum chamber. Purely for the purpose of illustration, Ihave shown a support 8 on which the container is placed, and a vacuum hell 9 which is adapted to surround the container. Said bell is .provided' with a. gasket 10 which engages the support-forming an airtight "connection therewith. "A

- pipe 11 is secured to the bell and to a suitable apparatus for drawing a vacuum on the bell. It will be understood that either the support may be moved relative to the hell, or the bell relative to the support, for the enclosing of the container in the chamber formed by the bell. It will also be under-- stood that any other suitable means may be provided for enclosing the container to form 'thereabout a chamber which may be placed under vacuum. p h [a t Locatedwithin -..this bell 91s the closing head. The closinghead. includes a support.

ing shaft 12 which is connected to suitable means so that it may be moved vertically to a limited extent within the bell. vAt the lower end of the shaft is a head 13 which is preferably formed integral therewith. S aced from this head 13 isan annular plate 14. This annular plate, 14 is secured to the head liiby supporting rods 15, which may be of any suitable character. As shown in the drawings, there are four rods. At the immediate lower face of the head 13 there is an annular plate 16. Surrounding each rod 15 is a sleeve 17. This sleeve lies between the plates 14 and 16, and the sleeves form spacers so that the annular plates are firmly secured to the head 13. Located between these annular plates 14 and-16 is a series of coils, each of which has a core. 18 on which the coils 19 are wound. Thiscore is shown as provided with projecting portions 20, 21 which engage similarly shaped recesses, respectively, in the annular plates 14 and 16. This serves as a ready'means for firmly supporting'the coils. Centrally of themagnetic head, there is a coil 22 which includes a central core 23 which is threaded into the head 13. These coils, when energized, produce an annular magnet ofthe plate 14 and also a magnet of the head 23 of the core of the central coil. This annular 'plate 14 is preferably of such dimensions as to freely ass into the depression formed in the container end 2, so as to make contact with'the metal of the container end in the region surrounding .the recess 4. The cen-- tral magnetic head 23" makes contact with the central portion of the container end, that tag-the portion disposed within the annular recess 4. I

- The container as above described is sealed by means'of a closure 24. This closure is annular, and as shown, is formed with horizontally extending portions-25, 25 between which 15 an annular recess 26. The walls 27 the vacuumizing of the container.

and 28 thereof are substantially vertical.

The recess 26 is so proportioned that these walls 27 and 28 will make firm gripping frictional contact with the walls 15' and 6, respectively, when .the closure is forced into the: recess 4. -In Fig. 4, the can end 2 is shown as provided with a recess 2, and the closure 24 seats in this recess and is housed therein. When the closure is flush with the can end,'there is no chance of prying out the closure plug. A coating C is either applied to theclosure or the inner face of the recess as indicated in Fig. .4. This enables a vacuum-tight-seal to be produced.

Located within the closing head is; a

plunger 29. This plunger includes 4 seg-f The head 13 is formed of cross ments. arms disposed at rightangles to each other, and these segments freely move' in the angular space between -these arms. The plunger iscarried by a sleeve 30 which surrounds the shaft 12, and which is independently moved on the shaft by suit ahle means. The closure 24 may be placed lightly on the container before the container is placed in the vacuum chamber..

into contact with the-container. The head.

is brought into contact with the container so that the magnets make contact with theouter face of the container end. When the head 18 magnetized, these magnets will firmly support the metal of the container end, and while thus supported, the plunger 29 will force the closure into the recess in the cdntainer endb Inasmuch as the metal of the container end is supported all the wa around the recess, and also centrally o the recess, the closure may be forced with considerable pressure on to its friction sea t and the supported end will resist this pressure. The end being held by the magnets, will not be forced.) inward b the seatl oftheclosure and no strain wi be placed on the double seam joining the end to thecontainer body.

Furthermore, when the end is supporte agnetically' so as to resist a consi erable pressure ap lied to the closure, the closure may be ma e of such dimensions as to very tightly seal the forcedon.t;' I

container when the closure is the frictionseat therefor. I It will be understood that the container seating recess and the closure therefor, maybe great] changed as to structure. The essential eature, however, which should be retained, is the frictional seating of the closure by a downward thrust or pressure applied to the closure. It will be understood also that the closing head may be greatly modified as to structure, the essential features which should be retained are the magnetic support applied to the outer face of the container end for firmly holdin the same, and the pressure means which orces the closure on to its frictional seat while the end isthus supported. The present embodiment of the invention is solely for the purpose of making clear the essential elements of the container and closing head for closing the same.

\Vlnle the invention is shown as applied to the forcing of a closure into a friction seat on the container end for sealing openings through which the container has been "acuumized, it will be understood that the closing head may be used for other purposes where it is desired to seat a'closure on a friction seat formed in a container end, and at the same time, support the container end adjacent the friction seat so as to resist the pressure incident to the forcing of the closure on to its seat.

Having vthus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An apparatus for sealing containers having a friction seated closure, said apparatus comprising magnetic means for supporting the container wall in the re 'on of the friction seat therein, and means or applying pressure to the closure for seating the same. 7

2. An apparatus for sealing containers having a friction seated closure said apparatus comprising means for vacuumizing the container, magnetic means for sup ort ing the container wall in the region 0 the friction seat therein, and means for applying pressure to the closure for seating the same.

3. An apparatus for sealing containers having an annular recess in the end thereof adapted to receive a friction seated closure,

lowermost ring member bein closure for seating the same in said recess.

5. An apparatus for sealing containers having an annular recess in the end thereof adapted to receive a friction seated closure comprising a shaft, a supporting head carried thereb ring members spaced from each other and carried by said head one above the other, coils disposed between said ring members for magnetizing the same, the adapted to engage the container end in t e region adjacent the recess for supporting the same, a sleeve carried by said head, and plunger members su ported by said sleeve adapted to engage t e closure for seating the same in said recess and sealing the container.

6. An apparatus for sealing containers having an annular recess in the end thereof adapted to receive a friction seated closure comprising a shaft, a supporting head carried thereby, ring members spaced from each other and carried by said head one above the other, coils disposed between said ring members for magnetizing the same, the lowermost ring member bein adapted to engage the container end in t e region adjacent the recess for supporting the same, a sleeve. carried by said head, plunger members supported by said sleeve adapted to engage the closure for seating the same in said recess and sealing the container, said head havinga central member adapted to e age the container end adjacent the inner si ifia of the recess, and a coil for magnetizing said central member.

7. An apparatus. for sealing containers having a friction seated closure, said apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber in which saidcontainer may be placed and vacuumized, a closing device located within said chamber and including magnetic means adapted to enga the end of the container havlng the friction seat for supporting the same, and a plunger adapted to engage the closure for applying pressure thereto for seating the same.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JAMES H. QNEIL.

said apparatus comprising means for vacuumizing the container, magnetic means surrounding said recess and engaging the container end for supporting the same, and means for applying pressure to the closure for seating the same in the recess.

4. An apparatus for sealing containers having an annular recess in the end thereof adapted to receive a friction seated closure, said apparatus comprising magnetic means surrounding the recess and engaging the container end for supporting the same, magnetic means engaging the container end within said recess for supporting the same, and means for applying pressure to the 

